A few weeks ago, one of my friends accepted a new job offer. She was excited about this new venture but after working there for a little over a week, she left that job. When I asked her why, she explained how the job was “weirding her out”.
The job consisted of wellness activities for the staff, such as mandatory “circle time”, which was group therapy sessions with her coworkers hosted by an unlicensed therapist. She also had to send in her “reflections” or personal thoughts as homework only for them to request a rewrite before resubmitting them again. She said this was never mentioned during the interview and was not what she expected from the job.
That same week this happened, another friend called to tell me she was flying to Costa Rica to participate in an ayahuasca ceremony that received great reviews from a life coach she was following. “I feel like spirit is calling me to do this”, she said.
Even though I was terrified of her traveling to a country by herself to be under the influence of a hallucination drug that causes people to vomit and defecate on the spot, I supported her decision and wished her the best.
At the end of the week, I sat in front of my computer and thought, “What is happening?”
The Rise Of Wellness as a Business
As a wellness writer, I’m always exposed to the latest trends and news about how human beings can make their lives happier and healthier. Everywhere I look, wellness is exploding all across the globe in various ways. You would think I’d be stocked. And for the most part, I am.
But I would be remiss if I didn’t also see a pattern of the market being flooded with products, services, celebrity influencing, and what happens to people when they fully immerse themselves into the wellness world.
In a world where depression is at an all-time high, affecting 21 million Americans each year, could companies, corporations, public figures, and social media be taking things a little too far? What’s the difference between wellness core vs. wellness? And has wellness developed some cult vibes?
Wellness has developed into a massive global conglomerate. Compared to the early 2000s when it first started making its way into modern-day living, the health and wellness industry has shifted from promoting health consciousness to becoming a multi-billion dollar enterprise, often resembling a cult-like environment.
Companies like doTerra, HerbalLife, and BeachBody have created communities of people searching for a healthy and purpose-driven life. Often, these people join as advocates and sell their products creating entrepreneurs who enlist more people to follow the same path.
However, these companies have also been tied to creating neverending multi-level marketing (MLM) structures and pyramid schemes, which harms these diehard advocates and makes it difficult (or impossible) for them to make a living. A former Doterra rep created a video last year detailing how the company runs the business as a pyramid scheme.
Some of these products, specifically ones you can ingest, may lack regulation from the FDA, meaning the absence of scientific backing could cause potential harm to consumers. As more products and services move outside the hospital or doctor’s office, the line between wellness products and services is blurred.
The Rise of Thought Leaders
Wellness has evolved from exercise, diets, and therapy, to retreats, large events, and ideologies promising enhanced well-being. It’s also opened a pathway for charismatic leaders to share their insights and create their own wellness communities.
A perfect example is the recent event hosted by Anthony Williams, known as the Medical Medium. He recently partnered with company Erewhon and had a huge launch party in Culver City, LA where entire blocks and streets were covered with people waiting to see him. While Williams has created countless health and nutrition books, he is not a certified nutritionist, and instead, is a self-proclaimed medium who offers pseudoscientific health advice based on alleged communication with a spirit.
The same goes for people like Danny Morel and Tony Robbins, who both are pinnacles of leadership in the wellness community and host thousands of events every year charging thousands of dollars for their time, energy, and sage advice.
While they promote rhetoric that revolves around self-love, inner transformation, and the power of a positive mindset, which has been known to create an impact on the mind and body, it also creates a culture of charismatic leaders or gurus who position themselves as the ultimate authority on health and wellness.
These programs and large events that promise life-changing transformations could be similar to religious or cult-like experiences for people desperately looking for a better way of life. At what point do individuals stop to consider whether they are following their journey or enlisting on the dogma of another human being, which unknowingly gives them a god-like complex?
The Best Wellness Advocate For You
Last night, I had a terrible dream that I had joined a group of people who believed the alien apocalypse was upon us and we needed to prepare. I was given rhetoric to study, and mandatory training to take, and I felt like the leader was constantly eyeing me making sure I was doing the work.
By the time I woke up, I was relieved that it was just a dream, but also concerned that there is probably some group out there who functions just like this and that people are joining right alongside them.
This is not to say that all wellness leaders, products, and services are corrupt in ways that target the weak-minded or those desperate for a happy life. Some of these things are created by people who have good intentions. But just like religion, some people can take the rhetoric and spin it into a weapon of harm which is why it’s always best to be critical and mindful of the things you consume.
Regardless of where you have been or what you experience, the best advocate for your overall health and wellness…is you. You have the power and control to lead your life on a better and happier path. It’s always best to be mindful of everything that you consume.
Taking time to do the research, to ask questions, and to see things from all different viewpoints can help level the balance that prioritizes genuine health benefits over commercial interests.
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Til next time,
